#SupremeCourt to hear a plea against a Delhi HC adjournement order in a petition seeking suspension of #CentralVista construction work due to the ongoing #COVID19 pandemic. Plea says labourers working & construction activities will "wreck havoc on healthcare system"
The construction of the Rs 20,000 crore project in the heart of the national capital has been brought under the ambit of "essential services".
Luthra: when human lives are considered it cannot be adversarial. the positivity rate in Delhi for COVID has shot up from 3 percent to 30 percent if compared from last year. This report is from the high-powered committee. Deaths are too there
Luthra: when we went to HC we said we are only on a 3.5 to 4 km stretch. Please a document of April 19 which is the DDMA order and now the health system has broken. from today morning I have come to know personally about 5 deaths
Justice Saran: You can make observations about deaths but we cannot as it can be misinterpreted.
Luthra reads the DDMA order: it says offices be remain closed apart from essential services. for the first time an exception was made where construction work except where labours are residing on site shall be closed
Luthra: we are only conerned with the rajpath and central vista stretch. there are 8 such stretches. we are only on these two. there is curfew in Delhi, so we cant go but labourers. shapoorji pallonji allowed to go ahead as deadline is Nov 30.
Luthra: SP group are also allowed to transport workers from sarai kale khan. Authorities thereby allowed them to operate in view of the exigency as per the government. labourers are coming to and fro from health camps. this is creating more pressure on healthcare system
Justice Saran: this is a matter High Court will look into. your grievance is that adjournment has been granted
Luthra: we went to HC and said we are in a position that matters will peak mid may and matter posted to mid may to peruse SC judgment
SC: ASG sought time till monday
Justice Saran: who was it
Luthra: it was ASG Chetan Sharma.. i am making a statement across the bar..
Justice Maheshwari: there is nothing to say an affidavit is required and we take it that happened in court, the high court is seized of the matter adjusting the date of hearing its for high court to decide
Luthra: we are faced with a peculiar situation. HC defers matter to 17th
Luthra: we are facing a humanitarian crisis. if the constructions is deferred till we cross the peak then nothing adverse will happen. we shut off IPL and mulling over lockdown. the virus is spreading...
Justice Saran: when you see us wearing masks inside office you know its serious
Luthra: May 17 is the peak period
Justice Saran: we can ask HC to hear this on Monday
SG Mehta: such a person coming to court in an SLP against an adjournment order raises doubt
Justice Saran: let us not go into that, we can ask HC to work on Monday
SG: Appeal against adjournment sets a wrong precedent.
SG: there appears to be some interested party
Luthra: petitioner studies arts...
Justice Saran: we are not getting into this. Do we say you are withdrawing?
Luthra: we leave it to you
Justice Maheshwari: We have not seen the order. we presume it's an order of adjournment. we have reservations in directing the HC to do anything.
Luthra: No order as on today..
Justice Saran: should we say you will request HC or we say so..
Luthra: you may request the HC to take it up on Monday..
Justice Saran: we don't want you to be in a difficult position. you can withdraw if you want..
ORDER
Justice Saran: we are of the opinion that since matter is pending before HC and is against an adjournment order we are not inclined to enter into merits of the case.
Justice Saran: we request the Shri Luthra to by himself or by any other counsel to request the Chief Justice of Delhi HC on Monday to take up the matter as early as possible as Mr Luthra says there is extreme urgency. we hope and trust the HC will pass an early hearing order
Justice Saran: We dispose it off
Luthra: Solicitor General said he will agree for a date, if you can mention that
SG: I said that trust me. I may not believe your client but not you Mr Luthra
Senior Adv Maninder Singh appears for SP group
Singh: you said HC shall, please use
'may"
Justice Saran: we will see to it
Justice Saran: it seems Mr Mehta and Mr Luthra are charged up about this case. its time for a late lunch
SG Mehta: that's because we know about the inside story of this litigation
Virtual meeting to condole passing of Indian jurist and former Attorney General for India, Soli Sorabji
Lalit Bhasin, President of SILF: The law reports are full of the monumental cases in which Soli appeared... during his seven-decade tenure as a lawyer.
AG Venugopal: When I think of Soli, one would imagine a legend of the law, a great jurist, an attorney general twice over... and above all a lawyer who was innovative and part of the evolution of the Constitution of India
Kerala High Court hears plea challenging Kerala Govt’s recent direction to capping price of RTPCR tests conducted by private labs at Rs 500. Plea moved by private testing labs. Matter before Justice N Nagaresh.
This is nothing but a violation of principles of natural justice.. This is totally in violation of the guidelines.. We could have produced much more data... on the value of the materials: Sreekumar
Senior Adv Ramesh Gupta : We had a meeting with Dy CM and other officials.. he has appointed the ADM south east as nodal officer to look into the grievance of Bar Council.
Justice Chandrachud: we want 700 to be supplied to Delhi and we mean business. it has to be supplied and we don't want to be coercive. our order will take time to be uploaded by 3 pm. but you proceed and arrange the oxygen
Adv Satyajeet S Bora is the amicus curiae.
Chief Public Prosecutor DR Kale appears for State.
Adv SG Chapalgaonkar appears for Aurangabad Municipal Corporation.